Without Limits 
by Susan Granger 
 
"Running is not about winning, it's about guts...To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift," said Steve Prefontaine. In an era where heroes are hard to find, it's no wonder that this popular track star's story has inspired so much interest.
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Prefontaine had it all: talent, charm, grace, beauty, self-confidence, and - above all - tremendous drive. He broke every American record between 2,000 and 10,000 metersbefore he tragically died at the age of 24 in
     1975 in a car crash. Written by Robert Towne and Kenny Moore (a champion runner and one of Pre's closest
     friends) and directed by Towne, this biopic examines the boy behind the man, the coach behind the athlete. A
     mill worker's son who grew up in a German-speaking household in Coos Bay, Oregon, Steve Prefontaine
     (Billy Crudup) learned early how to run. As a kid, he ran from kids who taunted him. As a teenager, he ran for
     fun and glory. As an athlete, he ran for himself. He was a rebel, a perpetual front-runner who refused to win a
     race with a mediocre effort, saying: "When you set the pace, you control the race." At the University of
     Oregon, he met the two most pivotal people in his life: his legendary coach, Bill Bowerman (Donald
     Sutherland), and his devoutly Catholic girl-friend, Mary Marckx (Monica Potter), who both cooperated in the
     making of this movie. The story doesn't idealize Prefontaine as a role model. On the contrary, it details his
     blunt, cocky attitude, self-obsession, and anti-authoritarian outbursts. Robert Towne hasbeen this route before
     with "Personal Best," his story about women runners training for the Olympics. On the Granger Movie Gauge
     of 1 to 10, "Without Limits" is an inspiring 7, examining the cool, fearless legacy of the long-distance runner.
     It's a great American story.yet.